Humanities

Students explore various research techniques and then apply that knowledge to an analysis of existing research and to designing and implementing their own research projects. The course includes preparation of appropriate research questions, a literature review, qualitative and quantitative approaches, research designs, threats to internal and external validity, sampling techniques, data collection methods, and ethical considerations. A basic overview of the application of research methods to program evaluation is provided. Ethical issues are explored in some depth.

With the explosion of worldwide communications, the globalization of the economy, and the increase of international conflicts, this course takes a global perspective on major ethical issues impacting our daily lives as members of a world community. From business to world politics, students will examine enduring ethical concepts. Case studies will be used to explore contemporary applications to such concerns as armed conflict, overpopulation, global degradation, and education and literacy. This course will encourage students to seek solutions to improve the world in which we live.

Classic authors of major influence in world literature are discussed in relation to the humanities. Emphasis is directed to recurrent themes in drama, fiction, and poetry that can enrich contemporary appreciation of universal human values as they have been expressed through the ages.

In this study of such major authors as Plato, Racine, Shakespeare, Goethe, Flaubert and Tolstoy, students continue to read and discuss classic works of major significance. Emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of the works with a view toward understanding and appreciating them not just in their own time period and culture, but also in an attempt to discover how they can both reflect and illuminate contemporary experience.

This course focuses on the distinctive cultural achievements that characterize the seminal traditions and civilizations of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean, and early modern Europe. Students examine the emergence of the humanities as a factor shaping modern Western cultural identity.

This course focuses on the cultures and traditions of the eastern world. The arts, wisdom, and ways of life defining the regional traditions and civilizations of the Middle East and Asia are considered in a cross-cultural survey that provides a foundation for comprehending today's global dilemmas and opportunities.

This course investigates technology's impact on the human condition throughout history. Considered in this investigation are advances in technology based on human ingenuity, observation, and experimentation. Practical examples are taken from fields such as agriculture, communication, education, manufacturing, medicine, and business.

Research colloquium may be taken for 1-3 credits to fulfill the doctoral research requirement.

Students explore topics of special interest in the humanities.

Students may decide to write a six-credit thesis under appropriate faculty direction and with the permission of the program director. Details are established prior to registration and in consultation with the thesis supervisor and the program director.

A focused study on a subject outside the graduate catalog, an independent study provides opportunity for original and in-depth research on a specific topic or regional issue of the candidate's interest and professional focus. It is an important part of the curriculum and should be used to supplement existing coursework. A student selects a topic of research from a single field of learning or one which is interdisciplinary and prepares a research paper to be submitted at the end of the semester (recommended minimum of 20 pages). The quality of the research paper should be appropriate to graduate level research. A list of preliminary readings and/or assignments and a means of assessment/evaluation are clearly defined in advance of the study. A minimum GPA of 3.2 is required.

This internship is comprised of individual work experience or a project in an organization (normally off-campus) under the supervision of a practicing professional and structured by a Salve Regina University faculty member. Although the specific nature of the internship varies with the student's academic interest, there should be a close relationship between the program of study and the non-academic setting. The internship is a supervised learning experience for academic credit typically consisting of a minimum of 120 hours (40/credit) of on-the-job experience occurring within a semester. The number of hours may be reduced if the internship involves significantly more writing as required by the faculty.

Focused on the history of ideas, students survey core readings in the humanities. Perspectives, problems and debates concerning the human relationship to culture and technology are considered in the fields of philosophy, religion, literature, history and art. This course lays the interdisciplinary foundation for the related methods course, HUM-618, and later dissertation work. Students prepare an interdisciplinary bibliographic essay on a significant humanities problem or debate.

This course provides opportunities for students to investigate technology in historical context as the organization and institutionalization of knowledge for practical purposes. Students examine the effects of technology on the traditional human wisdom that has served as a stabilizing force throughout history.

This course examines the interaction between religion, culture, the human person and the earth, using both general theories of religion and particular traditions. Areas explored include interpretations of technology, science, work, social justice, spirituality, morality, evil and death.

This course examines the role that technology plays in creating political systems that are just and fair. After looking at the origins of the Western liberal tradition in the political philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, we then trace a line of thinking through Locke, Jefferson, and Kant. We close with readings from the contemporary political philosopher John Rawls. Our final objective is to determine the effects particular technological advances have had on the evolution of Western political liberalism and on the adaptability of modern liberal democracy to the developing world.

This course surveys research methods and theoretical frameworks in the humanities. Students review basic critical and empirical research methods, pure vs. applied research, and quantitative vs. qualitative approaches. Models that combine scholarly perspectives are emphasized, as well as major debates concerning the uses of evidence, theory and method within and across disciplines. Case studies focus on humanities approaches and questions as they intersect with the dilemmas of technological society.

Students examine social change as reflected in, and caused by, the imagery of art. The course critiques important connections among art, technology and philosophical ideas expressed during periods of significant technological progress.

This course investigates technology's impact on the human condition throughout history. Considered in this investigation are advances in technology based on human ingenuity, observation, and experimentation. Practical examples are taken from fields such as agriculture, communication, education, manufacturing, medicine, and business.

Guided by the key principles of traditional western ethics - human dignity, justice, freedom, goodness, the common good and truth telling - this course considers how modern technology affects the human experience. Selected moral questions arising from the use of science-based and capital-driven technology are examined, e.g., the search for a more comprehensive ethic than the cost-benefit calculations of popular utilitarianism.

This course is based on imaginative works that reflect conflicting moral and technological dilemmas of contemporary life. Classes focus on a range of major authors whose fiction, drama and poetry illumine the human situation in the 21st century.

This course offers a final opportunity for students to integrate perspectives drawn from coursework in the broader humanities with work in their chosen program areas. Students and faculty work to develop a synthetic understanding of the global condition relative to accelerating technological changes and diverse cultural and societal influences. This course precedes the comprehensive examination and admission into the dissertation phase. It must be taken as the last 600-level humanities course.

Research colloquium may be taken for 1-3 credits to fulfill the doctoral research requirement.

Students are expected to enroll in Dissertation Research and Writing each fall and spring until the final version of the dissertation is accepted. Mentoring and guidance is provided to the student during the process of researching, writing, revising and defending the dissertation.